Cleetus McFarland is an American automotive YouTuber, motorsports promoter, entrepreneur, and professional race car driver known for his high-energy content and extensive engagement in the grassroots race culture.
As Cleetus McFarland, he has created one of the most powerful independent automotive media brands in the United States. By creating content online, professional racing, and massive investments in motorsport, he has turned online popularity into a multifaceted automotive and business company.
Cleetus McFarland Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Lawrence Garrett Mitchell |
| Birth Date: | April 5, 1995 |
| Age: | 30 Years |
| Birthplace: | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Height: | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Wife: | Madi Mitchell |
Early Life
Cleetus McFarland was born on 5th April 1995 and brought up in Omaha, Nebraska. He was brought up in an automobile-based family that had a central influence on his initial interests. His father, David Garrett Mitchell, was a car lover who also owned a mobile car detailing business and went on to run a taxi cab business in Omaha.
Starting at a young age, Garrett often helped his father with vehicle-related tasks, such as keeping up and transporting Crown Victoria taxis, which would later make him have a long-lasting affinity for the platform. Mitchell was exposed to automobiles early in his life, and this created a sense of mechanical curiosity and familiarity with the environment of motorsports.
He left high school, moved to Florida, and joined the University of Tampa, where he studied law in the hope of becoming a lawyer. But it was during his law school attendance that his increasing interest in automotive media and racing made him reconsider his career. Eventually, he decided to quit law school and concentrate on content making and motorsports.
Cleetus McFarland Career
Garrett Mitchell entered the world of professional media at 1320Video, where he started as a teenager, handling social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. This experience provided him with a preview of digital storytelling, audience participation, and coverage of motorsports.
During the Rocky Mountain Race Week in 2015, Mitchell developed the character Cleetus McFarland in a viral sketch that humorously communicated drag racing activities. The persona rapidly connected with the audience and formed the basis of his brand.
Later, he started his own YouTube channel under the Cleetus McFarland name, where he did drag racing, car builds, motorsports challenges, aviation content, and massive racing events. His channel saw a fast rise, and in 2025, it had already reached over 4.5 million subscribers and reached billions of total views.
His type of content, including transparency, enthusiasm, and technical depth, contributed to his establishment of a strong fan base in the automotive community. Competitive racing was taken up by McFarland in parallel with his media success. His most iconic cars included Leroy, the bodyless Chevrolet Corvette, and Mullet, the twin-turbo Chevrolet El Camino on the drag and drive circuit.
Rise to Fame
His rise from content maker to legitimate racer was capped in 2025, when he entered the ARCA Menards Series part-time with Rette Jones Racing and achieved several top-10 finishes. McFarland also made an aggressive move into the motorsports infrastructure.
He bought the vacant DeSoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, in early 2020, paying about half a million dollars, and renaming it the Freedom Factory. It has since been rebranded as a big grassroots motorsports complex with oval racing, drag shows, endurance, and live-streamed events.
He also used his portfolio to acquire a private airport in Myakka City, Florida, in 2024, estimated at around 3.5 million dollars. McFarland is a licensed pilot who is qualified to fly airplanes and helicopters.
Besides his real estate and aviation holdings, he has ownership interests in performance automotive firms such as Motion Raceworks and TBM Brakes, with reported ownership stakes of approximately 20 percent, which further confirms him as an entrepreneur and an industry investor.
Personal Life
Madi Mitchell is married to Cleetus McFarland. Their personal life is rather secretive, and there is not much publicity in comparison with their work. Madi has also featured sporadically in videos and at motorsports events, but does not feature prominently in his media brand. They have two children, a son called Ripp and a daughter whose name is not publicly known. McFarland has addressed the issue of how to balance family life with race, air, and airplane ownership.
Social Media Presence
Cleetus McFarland has a significant online presence on various platforms. He posts on Instagram as @cleetusmcfarland, where he has around 938,000 followers. His updates are mostly related to racing, backstage events, aviation, and advertisements of live motorsports events.
The main platform he uses is YouTube, and it is backed by other channels dedicated to racing series, aviation, and coverage of events. Social media has played a central role in his capacity to develop without the conventional motorsports media framework.
Cleetus McFarland Net Worth
By 2025, Cleetus McFarland will have an estimated net worth of about USD $10 million. His revenues are YouTube ad revenue, merchandise revenue, live event ticket revenue, sponsorship revenue, racing revenue, and equity investments.
Major investments like the Freedom Factory, aviation property, and ownership in automotive manufacturing firms help him in his long-term financial position. His business model represents a strategic reinvestment of media success into reality in the form of motorsports infrastructure.